The management challenge has been compounded by the high cost of managing problematic wildlife.
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In recent times, due to the increasing population density and unplanned land use around protected areas, the habitat of wild animals has been degraded and reduced, and wild animals have been moving into villages and settlements.
This has caused human and economic losses to the communities living in and around protected areas. In particular, attacks by wild animals such as elephants, tigers, rhinoceroses, snow leopards, Himalayan black bears, and timber bears have resulted in deaths and injuries to people, as well as damage to crops, houses, and livestock. On the other hand, damage to agricultural crops by monkeys, wild boars, nilgai, and dumsi is increasing across the country. This has created a situation where villages are being displaced.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests, and Environment, human-wildlife conflict has emerged as a serious problem in recent years. According to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, 15 people died in wildlife attacks in protected and buffer zones across the country in 2081/82 alone. The highest number of human casualties was 10 in Chitwan National Park, two in Bardiya National Park, and one each in Banke, Shuklaphanta, and Parsa National Parks.
Senior Ecologist Haribhadra Acharya of the department said that arrangements have been made to provide relief as per the Wildlife Damage Relief Assistance Guidelines to minimize human-wildlife conflict.
A total of 8,595 incidents of damage to physical and agricultural areas caused by wildlife in protected areas were reported in the last fiscal year. The department has stated that a total of 71.168 million rupees in relief funds have been distributed from various protected area offices for the damages.
Incidents of wildlife deaths
The management cost of problematic wildlife is very expensive, which has added to the management challenge. Last year, 339 wildlife deaths occurred due to various reasons including natural causes, road accidents, getting trapped in physical structures, dog attacks, and getting trapped in swamps. The highest number of deaths appears to be of chitals.
According to the data of 2081/82, 128 chitals, 32 blackbucks, 29 rhinoceroses, 19 monkeys, 17 wild boars, 15 red deers, 11 elephants, 10 leopards, and 10 ghorals have been recorded due to various reasons.
According to senior ecologist Acharya, the most effective way to reduce human-wildlife conflict is to keep wildlife safe within their natural habitat. 'Solar and electric fences, RCC walls and other barriers have been constructed in elephant-affected areas, while various structural measures are also being used to control the movement of rhinos and other wildlife,' he said.
Technical Task Force on Conflict Management
As incidents of human and material damage and destruction of agricultural crops by wildlife are increasing across the country, voices have started to be raised everywhere for a solution. In this context, in the ongoing session of the Federal Parliament, lawmakers have also raised their voices widely, drawing the government's attention to a solution.
Minister for Agriculture, Forest and Environment Gita Chaudhary had formed a technical task force on Jestha 4 to provide opinions and suggestions for human-wildlife conflict management through a ministerial decision. The task force includes representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Agriculture and Home Affairs, Tribhuvan University, the National Nature Conservation Fund, and experts from the relevant sectors.
The task force has been given the responsibility to review and analyze the reports, studies, research, policy and institutional arrangements, relief and compensation systems, and management efforts made so far in this regard. In addition, the task force has been given the responsibility to recommend short-term, medium-term, and long-term policy and institutional measures necessary for conflict reduction and management, informed Shila Gyawali, Under-Secretary of the Ministry and member of the task force.
The task force's meeting on Jestha 18 decided to conduct research on human-wildlife conflict management and collect opinions and suggestions from government agencies at all three levels that operate various programs, non-governmental organizations, experts, and the general public. Through a notice on Jestha 22, it has also requested to provide opinions and suggestions within 15 days, focusing on measures to reduce damage to agricultural crops caused by monkeys, wild boars, nilgai, and dumsi.
Member-Secretary of the National Nature Conservation Trust, Dr. Chiranjivi Prasad Pokharel, said that the technical expert committee recently formed by the ministry is an important step for human-wildlife conflict management. He said that the findings from the study conducted in dozens of municipalities in collaboration with the Trust and Tribhuvan University will also provide an important basis for solving the problem.
In collaboration with the ministry and the Trust, crop diversification, farming systems that reduce damage to wildlife, construction of safe animal sheds, electric fences, community mobilization and public awareness programs are being conducted in various affected areas. 'The problems related to elephants, tigers, leopards, bears, monkeys or other wildlife are different. Therefore, the solutions should also be different according to the species,' he said.
